Ride the Plastic Crimewave

August 01, 2008|By Chicago Tribune

Posting on its MySpace page, Plastic Crimewave Sound hit on the perfect description of its frenetic style: "Sounds Like: a biker war in space."

That's certainly true of "Shockwave Rider," a car wreck of squealing guitar, slapdash drums and backfiring vocals courtesy of singer/howler Steve Krakow. The tune, like many posted to the site, devolves into chaos as it draws to a close, the music heaving and churning like a busted blender.

The recordings are universally lo-fi, as if the crew was booted from the basement and forced to record amid the rumbling traffic of busy city streets (a sound matched by its equally scuzzy photos) -- a feel that adds to the music's immediacy.

Surf over to the band's site, crank "Blistering Black" and brace yourself for the onslaught.